Arbeloa calms things with Mbappé, opens door to Mourinho: «He’s No 1» | OneFootball

The coach tried to lower the tension after the clash with the Frenchman and praised the Portuguese coach, while doubts about his continuity keep growing. »

Álvaro Arbeloa tried to defuse the internal controversy at Real Madrid after the heated media clash with Kylian Mbappé. In a press conference, the manager played down the conflict with the French forward and said their relationship had not changed despite the statements made after the match against Oviedo.

“I just saw him now, on my way up here, and I already told him to stay calm, that I would take care of it”, the coach said before going into more detail about the situation. As he explained, the private conversation with the attacker had happened earlier, and he was not surprised by the player’s annoyance at having started on the bench.

“I know Kylian wasn’t happy the other day, and I like that. I wouldn’t understand it if he didn’t want to play for Madrid”, said the former defender. He also clarified that the decision was due to the player’s physical condition after recovering from an injury and stressed that he planned to give him more minutes against Sevilla.

The conflict erupted after the World Cup winner publicly said that the coach had told him he was “the fourth striker in the squad, behind Mastantuono, Vini, and Gonzalo”. That phrase caused a stir because the coach denied ever saying it and attributed the episode to a misunderstanding.

In the middle of a week full of tension at the Bernabéu, the Real Madrid boss rejected the idea of a dressing room out of control. “I’m not afraid that they might comment on any of the conversations”, he said when asked about the public exposure of the talk with the Frenchman.

At the same time, the Spaniard left a remark that fueled rumors about the future of the Madrid bench. Asked about José Mourinho, he did not hesitate to praise the Portuguese and admitted he would welcome his return to the Santiago Bernabéu. “I feel he is number one. He has been, he is, and he always will be, uno di noi”, he said about the man who was his coach between 2010 and 2013. And he added: “If he is here next season, I will be very happy to see him back home”.

While Florentino Pérez also recently highlighted the Portuguese coach’s legacy, Arbeloa himself made remarks that sounded like a farewell. “These four months have been a huge learning experience”, said the coach, who emphasized his experience leading the team at the highest level and left the door open to a short-term departure.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.